Clayton School Board May Face Criminal Charges

By Odette Yousef

Atlanta, GA – Clayton County school board members may face criminal charges. Today, the county's grand jury begins probing whether their actions, which have jeopardized the system's accreditation, amount to malfeasance in office.

The grand jury has subpoenaed documents from an investigation done by SACS, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. SACS found, among other things, that school board members violated rules on bidding process and accounting.

John Turner, from the office of Clayton County's District Attorney, says school board members may now face charges:

TURNER: If the grand jury found that they were derelict in their duties, they could be charged with a misdemeanor offense for that.

In addition to this probe, Clayton County's grand jury is still awaiting a police report on where several school board members live. One was found not to live in Clayton County. He was unseated by his peers last month. Turner says that investigation could result in additional criminal charges.

The school system has until September first to meet several benchmarks set by SACS, or it will lose its accreditation.